Celebrity Workout: Nelly

Just one look at Grammy Award-winning rapper Nelly and you can tell he’s no stranger to the gym. The definition and muscle size he maintains didn’t happen by accident; they came through dedication to a workout plan.

Nelly’s workouts are carefully planned out and coordinated to ensure he still has energy left for performances and other activities related to his music, which can get tricky for the busy rapper. However, it is clear Nelly does a fantastic job at balancing it all.

After speaking with Nelly about his workout and diet program, here are some things he had to say.

At what age did you really start focusing on your workouts and trying to build your body?

I’ve played sports all my life. When I played football in high school, I had to stay active and in shape. I am athletically built, but I started focusing on toning and weight-lifting at around 24 or 25.

Do you spend a specific portion of the time trying to build muscle and a specific portion dedicated to getting lean? Or do your workouts stay fairly consistent year-round?

I’ve always been lean. Putting on weight has always been my problem! My workouts are fairly consistent, schedule permitting. When I’m touring (like now), I might work out 2-3 times a week. When I am less busy, I work out about 5 days a week (Monday through Friday).

Getting more into the specifics of your workout plan, how many days a week are you in the gym? And during your off days, are you doing any form of exercise?

I am in the gym about 5 days a week. Again this depends on my schedule. Right now I am promoting my new album, Brass Knuckles, and I’m not able to get into the gym as often as I would like, which is about 2-3 times a week. Regardless, I’ll still do 1,000-1,500 sit-ups and push-ups a day; they’re easy and I don’t need a gym to do them. I also play basketball in my free time — it’s great cardio.

What is your current weight-lifting program like? What exercises are you performing and how many sets of each do you do?

I like machines for a varied workout. For upper body, I like the military press. During crunches, I hold a 25-45 pound weight plate across my chest for added resistance. I also do calf raises and squats for my lower-body workout. Specifically, this is what my workout looks like: Monday: triceps; Tuesday: back and shoulders; Wednesday: biceps/legs, Thursday: chest using a bench press machine; Friday: start over with triceps. The key is to keep moving around the exercises so I don’t get bored or used to one thing.

I tend to do fewer reps at a higher resistance because I am working on building not getting lean. Six to eight reps works for me.

If you feel as though you’re hitting a plateau with your progress, what changes do you normally make with your workout to start getting results again?

[Laughs] I’ve been lucky — I never hit a plateau! My trainer put me on a good regime and I get good results. But like I said earlier, it’s important to switch around exercises so your body doesn’t get bored or used to one thing.

Moving on to the diet side of things, can you describe your current diet approach? Would you say it’s lower carb, higher protein, or a more balanced approach?

[Laughs] People always get mad at me, but I don’t diet! I eat whatever I want and have always been very lucky. My friends see what I eat and tell me one day I’ll pay for it, but so far I’ve been really lucky. On an average day, what’s on your menu?

Breakfast is typically pancakes, turkey bacon, oatmeal, and eggs with cheese. For lunch I’ll have two turkey burgers and fries, and for dinner, it depends on where we are or what restaurant we go to.

On average, 3-4 meals a day. I keep snacking all day. If I’m trying to get bigger/gain weight, I will literally eat all day and keep snacking all day.

If you could pinpoint one change you’ve made with your workouts and diet program since you started that has given you the best results, what would it be?

I think the one tip I have is to do 1,000-1,500 sit-ups and push-ups a day. You can do them wherever without gym equipment. Start off slow; maybe do 100-200 at a time. Sometimes I’ll wake up, do 100 sit-ups, eat breakfast, and then do 100 more. Start off slow and work your way up. That’s my best advice.